a day out - Wellington City - Cam Theme - 56

There is a lot to do and see in Wellington. 

Here is a photo of the iconic view of Wellington on a good day from the Cable Car in Kelburn - looking out over the city and harbour below

Wellington city and iconic Cable Car

We had just come from the bottom of Lambton Quay and ventured around the area at the top of the cable car near the observatory.
What follows is a collection of photos from our day out

There are 11 photo sets in this "CAM" series and one guest photo.
If you would like to see more images of Wellington  - click on the labels tab at the bottom of this blog

Click on any image for a larger view.

Previous posts can be viewed by clicking on the "BLOG ARCHIVE" section to the right.
If there is a particular subject you would like to see - it just may already be on my blog.
Check the top right of this main page to search it out.

small, old building amongst the new in downtown Wellington 

there was just something about this old building that caught my eye as it and it's history seemed jammed in between the progress of a growing city

This is the first photo (of three) of the Plimmer steps in downtown Wellington, taken from street level on Lambton Quay

the second photo zooms in on the sculpture of John Plimmer and his dog Fitz
and the third photo zooms in on the highrise buildings above

click the label: Plimmer steps to see all the photos

sculpture of John Plimmer and his dog Fitz in downtown Wellington

John Plimmer and dog Fitz

Plimmer steps - central Wellington

click the label: Plimmer steps to see this street art in the context of the rest of the surroundings

Highrise Wellington. 

The view from Lambton Quay towards the top of the Plimmer steps.

BODY TO SOUL - 1996 - by Mary-Louise Browne

Top-Bottom: 

Soul

Sour

Soar

Sear

Seer

Seed

Send

Bend

Bond

Bony

Body

BRONZE FORM (cast 1988)

Henry Moore (1898-1986)

Bronze Form by Henry Moore in Wellington NZ

What does the Bronze Form represent?

As Moore said, "All art should have a certain mystery and should make demands on the spectator. Giving a sculpture or a drawing too explicit a title takes away part of that mystery so that the spectator moves onto the next object, making no effort to ponder the meaning of what he has just seen. Everyone thinks that he or she looks but they don't really, you know."

Many of Moore's works are suggestive of human forms. This piece here in the Botanic gardens, was originally conceived as the central form of a three-piece sculpture.
Moore subsequently decided it could stand alone

The inter island ferry Kaitaki - coming in to berth at Wellington - seen from the observatory above the botanic gardens

Kaitaki

how to work out latitude and longitude

if you click on the location link - you'll see where I was standing when taking the picture

Your current position is S 41^o 17’02.9” E 174^o 46’ 05.6”

Latitude and longitude are both required to identify an exact location. A place’s latitude, location north or south of the equator, can be determined by observing the sun and stars.

However, to gauge longitude, or the east/west position, you must know both the time at a reference point (Greenwich Mean Time) and the time at your current location. Since time is calculated by how long it takes the earth to rotate every 24 hours – one hour for every 15^o turn – the two times allow navigators to compute the angle on the earth where they are located: their longitude.

How it works:

New Zealand is 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

Using the equation: 12 hours (difference between the two times) x 15^o = 180^o, we find that New Zealand is near enough to 180^o longitude.

I learnt all that from the observatory board – so why not share it here as well...

couple on a bench

near the Carter Observatory, there are a few benches to relax on and stop to take in the views of Wellington city below. This candid shot sums it up quite nicely I think...

This is number 7 on the list of The Kowhai Walk - The Sundial of Human Development

From the plaque at the sundial:

"There are many different types of sundial, the most commonly seen being the horizontal sundials used to beatify gardens. This sundial is a type of horizontal sundial which uses a series of fixed points located around the circumference of an ellipse. A person is used to produce the shadow by standing on the time of year marked on a figure of eight located in the centre of the ellipse.

This sundial is accurate to within a few minutes and no corrections have to be made for daylight saving. This is because the bronze indicators on the granite columns are moved twice a year. This sundial was constructed to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Plimmer Family in Wellington". 

Give it a go when next you're at the top of the Botanical Gardens - it's fun to see what time it is just by raising your arms up above your head - provided you're standing on the spot...

Guest Photo: ...

The skyline of Johannesburg backed by an awesome sunset

Johannesburg sunset by Yvonne Butts

by Yvonne Butts 

... : Guest Photo